German Rifleman
The German Rifleman is one of the most frequently occurring enemy units fielded by the Germans. They appear in every mission in which the Germans feature and are not only a hindrance to your men, but also of great use. Identification The Rifleman is very easy to spot amongst other units. They wear brown uniforms in most missions, however in arctic missions (such as White Death) they don a grey uniform that is almost identical to that of other soldier class enemies. They wear metal helmets and tend not to be the most mobile of enemies. Behaviour The average Rifleman will often be used as a sentry or lookout. They won't often move around the map as much as other units, and tend to stay in one place watching over a certain area, or alternating between two places. As such, they can be in one of two states. If they are placed poorly, they are low threat. Riflemen in this state are easily bypassed with little difficulty. Often they will be alone or watching an area of little use to you and your men. If they are placed well, they are high threat. These Riflemen will be watching key areas that you need to get to or will have other units keeping an eye on them. In this state they are much harder to get rid of, as one must either kill them from afar or make sure to kill other units in the area first, which can prove troublesome. (Note: Riflemen are often easily distracted by the allure of cigarettes, which can be used to lure them out of place for an easy kill. If cigarettes do not work, if they already possess a pack of their own for example, try using wine. If that doesn't work then they simply will not move from their post) Use Riflemen can be of great use to you, as well as a pain in the neck. Alone they are stupid and often slow to react, and their low rate of fire makes them of little threat to you. In groups, however, they can be dangerous, as their high accuracy and damage can easily put down one of your men. Try and keep them separated and you won't have much trouble. Early on in a mission they can be very useful. They can provide a quick access uniform for your Spy to wear until he can get hold of a lieutenant or officer's uniform. Their uniforms can also be of use to your other men, who can wear them to bypass enemies in their long view. Their rifles are also extremely useful. Being one shot weapons with plentiful ammunition (as well as a long range) one should take the first opportunity to steal a rifle and harvest ammunition. Be careful of the weapon's low rate of fire, however. You can make use of several rifles at once in combination with auto fire to create a very effective ambush for enemy patrols. Comparison with other enemies Compared to Gunners (German submachine gun armed infantry), the Rifleman isn't up to much. He is of very little threat to you and can be dealt with relatively painlessly. Their position as a soldier class enemy makes them stupid and they cannot see through any of your Spy's disguises, making them of no threat to him what so ever so long as he has a uniform. They pale in comparison to snipers and other long range infantry and are generally pretty easy enemies to take care of. Trivia - The brown uniform worn by the Rifleman would have been more common of Sturmtruppen or Falschirmjager infantry of the time period. Units of the Wehrmacht would have worn a simple drab grey known as Feldgrau. - The Rifleman's uniform does not seem to bear any recognisable insignia denoting rank, but it can be assumed that all Riflemen featured in the game are of relatively low rank. - There is a chance that a Rifleman will miss his first shot every time he spots you. This chance exists even up close. - A single Rifleman can take up to five shots to kill one of your men, but when turned on the enemy the rifle is an instant kill. - Riflemen carrying cigarette packets will not be distracted by thrown cigarettes. - As with all other units, taking a Rifleman's uniform and then dropping it once he's been tied up will render them completely useless. Even if they are untied by an ally they will simply flee the mission area. - Rarely will Riflemen move any considerable distance. It is more common of Japanese Riflemen to form patrols or move around. - Despite mostly being deployed as sentries, Riflemen seem very bad at staying at their post. Category:Enemies Category:Germans